The heart's ashes did not scatter like ordinary dust. They pulsed—slow, luminous embers folding together into a crystalline shard, no larger than Rhys's fist. It hovered above the shattered ground, beating faintly with the same rhythm that had haunted the dungeon since his first step inside.
[ Dungeon Core Fragment – Claimable ]
The prompt flickered across his vision, exactly as he had expected.
Rhys exhaled, steady. "So it's here. The reason I had to push this far."
This was no surprise reward, no lucky discovery. The man he had met—the one who had pointed him toward this path—had told him plainly: defeat the Warden, reach the heart, and the dungeon is yours to claim. This was always the endgame.
He reached out without hesitation. Puddle floated close, halos humming, while Bounce stood taut at his side, silver eyes fixed on the shard.
"This dungeon's will is mine to inherit," Rhys said quietly. "And I accept it."
His fingers closed around the fragment.
